Hobbies the make money
Are you a little on the artsyside, looking to settle into a new career or side gig for a little extra cash? Take the artistic skills that you already possess and turn it into a hobby that can actually pay for itself and your bills as well!
▲ 3D PRINTING▲
What once seemed like a wacky contraption from the Jetsons
, the 3D printer
is now just as obtainable as a television or cellphone. There are almost no limits as to what you can create with a 3D printer. Get yourself one and explore with making original sculptures, wall art and even jewelry
. Sell your creations online or at arts and craft festivals. Take custom orders for extra dough! Get started HERE
▲BALLOON SCULPTING▲
Balloon sculpting
goes so much further than just making poodles and silly hats. Large works of art made from balloons are desired for all kinds of events from Bar Mitzvahs to proms to weddings. There are several videos on YouTube that give great tutorials about making large balloon sculptures as well as cute little things like flowers, swords and even super heroes. Get started HERE
.
▲CAKE DESIGNING▲
We all got bit by the cake decorating bug when Ace of Cakes
came out on Food Network
a few years ago. We rushed to the grocery store, bought some fondant
, failed miserably and either gave up or just plain forgot about it. Cake decorating TV shows might be a bit of a fad but fancy cakes are not. There will always be a need for beautifully decorated cakes for all kinds of occasions but if you decided to join the cake game, you better make sure your skills are up to par. There's some tough competition out there!! Make sure you're competent and confident before you start taking custom orders - one bad cake can ruin your reputation forever. Get started HERE
.
▲CARICATURE DRAWING▲
Have you ever had your caricature 
drawn? It's fun and you get to walk away with a souvenir you can't wait to show co-workers the next day. When people come into your home they see it and get a nice little chuckle over how much that weird thing with the giant head and little body looks like you.
Before starting caricatures, it's very important that you're already a good sketch artist
who can work fast and efficiently. You can set up to do caricature drawing almost anywhere, in the park, at festivals, tourist hot-spots and you can even take custom orders online if getting out and about ain't your bag. Get startedHERE.
▲TIE-DYING▲
There are many different dyeing methods and techniques
out there and almost no end to what you can tie-dye. Customize clothing, bedding, and bulk fabric in your own unique way. Once you've mastered the art of dyeing, you can take in custom orders or sell your original work online or at craft shows. Get startedHERE
.
▲FACE PAINTING▲
Are you good with a brush? Good with kids? Take a shot at face painting
. Get hired on at an amusem*nt park, local theater, family fun center or work independently at festivals, school carnivals, fairs and more. Get started HERE
.
▲FLORAL DESIGN▲
Floral arrangements
, wreaths, corsages, bridal bouquets
, boutonnieres, casket sprays... the list goes one and on and florists are and will always be needed. You can get affordable hands on training at a local college or community center but if you're wanting to teach yourself and be an independent artists check out these resources HERE
.
I can't think of a more impressive skill to have than glassblowing
. It's such an obscure hobby yet it produces such wonderfully handy creations like vases, drinking vessels and... paper weights. Even though I know very little about glassblowing, I think it'd probably best to take some classes first before buying your own set-up to avoid serious injury. If you feel you're ready to get your hands on some molten glass (on a smaller scale) check out this glass bead making kit.
▲HAIR-BRAIDING▲
Hair braiding is a great service to offer at summer festivals, beachy tourist hot-spots, and especially renaissance faires. A hair braider at a renaissance faire
is almost as vital as turkey legs. This is a skill anyone can learn - in fact just last year the hair braider at the renaissance faire I co-direct was a middle-aged man who learned from his girlfriend without knowing a thing about styling hair. Click HERE for great examples and tutorials of more intricate hair braiding.
▲HENNA TATTOOING▲
If you've got a steady hand, an eye for detail and natural artistic ability then this is something you'll love to do! The henna paste
used for "tattooing" can also be used to permanently stain and decorate leather and other animal skin goods like boots, purses, tambourines and drums. You can also use paint to "henna" all sorts of objects like dishes, clothing and furniture. Offer your henna service at festivals, for brides-to-be, or sell your decorated goods on Etsy 
or craft shows. Get started HERE
.
▲MAGIC▲
Learn old classics
or create your own tricks - magicians are few and far between... er, or good ones anyway. There's so much more to magic than just pulling rabbits from hats or sawing ladies in half. There's escape
, illusions
, card tricks
, and mentalism 
to name a few and the style can be all your own. You can be silly, mysterious, scary or sexy - whatever you want! Sign up to perform at carnivals and fairs, hire yourself out for parties and corporate events. Whether you study alone or take classes, it's always a good idea to be mentored by a competent magician who can make sure you know what you're doing before you try to go big. No one likes a bad magician! Get started HERE
.
▲RECYCLED ART▲
You know those muffler robot thingies outside service stations? Yeah, something like that. Seriously, though, there's really no end to what you can make and what you can make it with. Some popular materials are old license plates, computer parts, wire and paper. Try your hand at making small sculptures
, wall art, steampunk goodies
and jewelry 
and work your way up from there. Sell your creations online
and at craft shows. Submit your art to be displayed at museums and you just might land a gig creating some sweet corporate art. Get started HERE
.
▲REUPHOLSTERING▲
Revamp old furniture to sell or make repairs for customers - reupholstering 
is a handy skill to have! But remember Pinterest fans, there's more to reupholstering than just covering your dining room chair cushions in chevron print fabric. We're talking whole couches and love-seats! Get started HERE
.
▲SCREEN-PRINTING▲
Whether you're printing your own designs or taking custom orders, screen printing is a unique hobby that is fun and super profitable. You can do small projects using the embroidery hoop method, the traditional squeegee & frame
way or even invest in machines that do most of the work for you. Print on clothing
, bags, aprons
, hats, etc.Get started HERE
.
▲STAND-UP COMEDY▲
If you've been known to cause a whole office or classroom to burst into uncontrollable laughter from a joke or two then it might be time to take your act to the stage. Keep in mind there are many forms of stand-up comedy including prop comedy (Carrot Top
,Gallagher
), musical comedy (Tim Minchin
, Demetri Martin
), duo or troupe comedy (Flight of the Concords
, The Mighty Boosh
), and much more. Pick what best suits you and hone your skills by doing a little research and studying the masters. Show off a bit of your comedy on YouTube to gauge people's reactions before you pick up a microphone. If you get 2 thumbs up an 2,000 thumbs down, stand-up most likely isn't for you. Get started HERE
.
▲TAXIDERMY▲
I'm personally not a fan of taxidermy 
- I think it's quite yucky but I acknowledge that it is indeed an artistic hobby. If working with dead animals is your thing... aaaaaalrighty then... but making money from it can make it seem a little less creepy than it really is. Not sure where to get started? Contact your local taxidermy shop
to see if you can apprentice there or check out these resources HERE
.
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Do you have a unique artistic hobby that brings in extra cash?
Pin me please :)
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